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Despite the fact that predecessor "Tomorrow Come Today" wasn't the expected commercial break through there seemed to be interest and enthusiasm from Wind Up Records - a semi major label that Boysetsfire were signed to at the time. The band made lists of producers they would like to work with and studio time was booked.

And than the whole thing fell apart.

A sad and depressing truth unfolded:"Complete creative control" means absolutly NOTHING if the record company is not giving you the green light to enter a studio and cover the massive costs of producing a full length album.The label just didn't hear "the hit" which is still absolutly puzzling given the fact that they had (now) fan favorites like "Empire" or "Requiem" presented to them.

What followed sounds like straight outta Spinal Tap:Suggestions of recording a cover of Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning" as a first single ("it worked for Alien Ant Farm") and celebrity co-songwriters (i think someone mentioned Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan?!) only being the tip of the iceberg.

While people in europe dreamed of Boysetsfire living in mansions and/or their old fanbase accusing them of selling out the bandmembers were being forced to work construction 9+ hours a day to provide for their familys while going back into the basement at night to work on songs again.

And what songs they wrote!

There was a lot of talk about the Bad Brains which clearly reflected in the noisier, crazier moments of the album with songs like "Final Communiqué" or "A Far Cry".Nathan's love for country shined through in the intro for "Walk Astray" and "10 And Counting".The classic rock / metal influences showed in the epic "With Cold Eyes" and the title track.And yes, what you hear on "So long...And Thanks For All The Crutches" and the heavily The Clash influenced "Deja Coup" is indeed a horn section. Which lead to some very ignorant/hilarious reviews that claimed that Boysetsfire totally lost their mind now and included two ska songs on their last album.

Finally Wind Up records let Boysetsfire out of their contract and the album was released on Equal Vision and Burning Heart to critical praise and enthusiastic reactions from fans around the world.

Looking back "The Misery Index" is absolutly shizophrenic and cohesive at the same time.None of those songs have any right to be next to each other on one album but it still makes perfect sense the way it is.

What it represents is a band that flirted with the world of "real music business" for a short while and did not like it at all.The result was Boysetsfire totally freeing itself from all outside expectations and focusing on the only thing that really matters:A group of friends writing music and lyrics they would like to hear.And if that isn't good enough for "the man" then i guess Boysetsfire are better off being the enemy of the music business.

"The misery index: notes from the plague years" will be available on vinyl through the bands very own End Hits Records for the very first time. Limited to 1000 copies on 180g vinyl in Gold and Blue with extensive linernotes from bandmembers and close friends.